National Weather Service

Fall is typically a drier time of the year for the Great Plains and Midwest. But drought is once again rearing its head in much of the region, and experts are not seeing relief anytime soon.

With geography already posing challenges for Midwestern forecasters, meteorologist Chris Gloninger says climate change has made traditional models obsolete and has voided historical precedents.

There have been 184 tornado warnings in Missouri in 2024, which is the third-highest number on record.

Five months in, this year is already the most active for tornadoes in Kansas since 2019. Two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Johnson County last week.

Two tornadoes were confirmed out of Sunday evening’s storm — one in western Shawnee and another around 79th Street and Lamar Avenue. But neither county nor city outdoor warning sirens went off, nor was there any alert issued.

Solar flares are causing a geomagnetic storm that should make it possible for Kansas City and other cities in the middle of the country to see the aurora borealis, which can usually only be glimpsed in northern latitudes. The best views are expected around midnight.

Severe thunderstorms Wednesday evening produced huge chunks of hail in parts of Missouri and Kansas. "Gorilla hail" can create lots of damage and even has the potential to be fatal.

The cold front will still be expansive, bringing dangerous cold temperatures into the Midwest. Wind chills ranging from negative-15 to negative-30 are expected in Kansas City through Saturday morning.

Due to the extreme cold, Kansas City, Missouri, activated its emergency cold weather plan. Ten shelters across the city will add more capacity to their existing space. Other shelters and warming centers around the region will open to keep people warm.

Blizzard conditions are expected in parts of Kansas over to the Kansas City metro, which is under a winter storm warning as of Monday afternoon.

Huge swaths of Missouri and Kansas have continued to be stuck in a months-long drought. But El Niño, a months-long weather pattern that typically brings warm winters and extra precipitation to the central U.S., brings hope.

Evergy estimates more than 11,000 customers remain without power after Friday’s thunderstorms, but with more storms hitting the Kansas City area, it may be several more days before all service is restored.